泥河湾盆地更新世人类活动遗迹与石器技术演化

THE PLEISTOCENE PALEOLITHIC DISCOVERIES AND THE LITHIC TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN THE NIHEWAN BASIN,NORTH CHINA

泥河湾盆地旧石器时代考古遗址数量多,时间跨度大,地貌和地层清楚,具有丰富的文化内涵。本文根据现有材料和遗址测年数据研究表明盆地从早更新世到晚更新世发现的旧石器时代遗址在年代上和文化上都构成了一个比较密集的演化序列。泥河湾旧石器技术演化表现为"线线进化"的模式,小石器技术传统从早期一直延续到晚期,演化路线可以概括为"东谷坨-峙峪系";晚期细石器技术出现并十分成熟,其可能是小石器技术传统的发展和革新。目前的研究成果支持细石器技术华北地区起源说。此外,泥河湾旧石器技术的演化还表现出一些复杂性。

The Paleolithic of Nihewan Basin,located in northwest Hebei Province and northern Shanxi Province and 50km west of Beijing,is characterized by large numbers of sites,a long-term scale,definite strata and rich cultural remains. Recently numerous Paleolithic sites have been discovered, most of which are open-air sites located in the eastern part of the Nihewan Basin and bedded in lacustrine sediments or alluvial deposits of the Sanggan River terraces. Due to the increase in archaeological discoveries and dating technique advances, the paper tries to adjust the chronological sequence which was first established by Wei Qi in 1991. From the chronological sequence shown, there are no sites known during the periods 0.7 ~0.3Ma and 0.2 -0. 1Ma. It suggests that more work is required to explain such a situation. Evidences of human activities and dates recently obtained indicate that sites from the Early to Late Pleistocene Paleolithic in the Nihewan Basin formed a concentrated time and cultural sequence. In this paper,human occupations from Early to Late Pleistocene are discussed as well as the development of lithic technology in a macroscopic perspective. By introducing some representative Lower Paleolithic sites such as Majuangou, Xiaochangliang, Donggutuo and Sankeshu, and Middle Pleolithic sites such as Xujiayao, and Upper Paleolithic sites like Zhiyu and Hutouliang in the Nihewan Basin,the paper studied the Pleistocene Paleolithic sites and the lithic technology evolution. The preliminary research indicates that the lithic technology was developed according to a ＂continuous evolution＂ model. The small tool technology was improved continually from the Early Pleistocene to the Late Pleistocene and the developmental route should be modified as the Donggutuo-Zhiyu series, which includes Zhoukoudian locality 1, Sankeshu, Xujiayao, Zhiyu was developed into the microlithic culture. Microlithic technology was very advanced when it appeared in the Upper Paleolithic,playing the role of innovation in lithic technology. Actually, the research suggests that the microlithic tradition could be traced back to early Pleistocene,and may be found the traces in the small tool technology development of the ＂ Donggutuo-Zhiyu＂ series. This is strong evidence for the theory of a local origin for the microlithic culture tradition. The Paleolithic culture in the Nihewan Basin is not simple, and can even be said to be quite complex,as some advanced technologies first emerged in the early period and traditional technology was unaffected by new technology. All these mean that there are many subjects worth exploring in depth in the Nihewan Paleolithic.